Alone
by PeachEclair
Summary: Ezio contemplates his life on the rooftop of the Tiber Island Hideout. It's a good thing that he has his sister to turn to. And a good thing that Claudia's grudges are usually short-lived...


**Hi everyone!**

**This wasn't supposed to get posted yet, but I have a few stories still unfinished, and this week has been pretty hectic, so apologies!**

**This is going to be the last Assassin's Creed Fanfic for a little bit, because I hope to explore some other fandoms. (At the persistence of my friend KadmeRead)**

**Enjoy!**

Everyone has their breaking point. Every man, woman, and child reaches a point in their life where they question themselves, question their worth, question their life choices, question their future... Nevertheless, everyone is forced to confront their pasts, or sometimes themselves, and Ezio Auditore da Firenze is no different.

Said man was perched on a rooftop in Roma, admiring the view of the sweeping sunrise. Well, that's what it looked like he was doing. In reality, he was trying to escape his thoughts. The swirling maelstrom of guilt, fear, anger, and predominantly grief, that circled his mind caused Ezio to flee the confinements of the Tiber Island Hideout, and seek refuge on the roof.

Ezio sighed, and shifted his weight, so that he was sitting on the hard tiles with his legs in front of him, knees bent, elbows resting on his knees. His face was reasonably neutral, but it was concealing his emotions. Of all the days in the year, he hated this one the most; The day his family was ripped apart.

It had been years since he had seen his brothers and father fall only to suffer the judgement of the noose. Somehow he could still picture the scene, hear the strangled "_FATHER!" _That fell from his lips. Many times he had been woken up in the middle of the night, certain that he was back in Firenze, just after the hanging.

He had buried his first bodies later that day. The corpses had been rescued by him and Cristina after they had been left to be dumped by the river. Like vermin.

Ah. Cristina Vespucci. His first love. The Florentine beauty who was admired by painters and noblemen alike for her beauty. She had been the first of a few who had died in his arms. The thought of her still filled him with sadness. She had died in the Bonfire of the Vanities which had occurred during Savonarola's reign of terror. A reign that he felt that he was responsible for, no matter how many times Leonardo and Uncle Mario convinced him of otherwise.

_I caused so much pain. If only I hadn't collapsed, the apple could still be in our reach. So many bodies. All because of me. I just... I don't know what to do. I just know I need to stop. Grave after grave after grave. I get tired of burying my friends. _

"Mentore?"

The quiet voice from behind Ezio scattered his thoughts. He immediately mentally assessed himself, before turning towards the young recruit, with a smile on his face.

"Si, Stefano? What do you need?" Ezio inquired, his gentle manner putting the recruit at ease immediately. He stopped fidgeting and stood up straighter.

"Well Mentore, Signore Machiavelli wanted me to find you, and inform you that your sister's here, and she doesn't look happy. She called you "_un fratello pigro, arrogante, cattivo che non può essere disturbato a visitare la sorella!"_ Before I left."

Ezio grimaced. "Thank you Stefano, I will come down now."

Stefano nodded and left. Ezio slowly pulled himself up into a standing position and rolled his shoulders, wincing as he felt it pop. He must have been sitting for longer than he thought. Bracing himself for whatever mood his sister was in, he followed the young recruit down, and into the hideout. As soon as he reached the entrance, he could hear his sister barking at some poor soul. Probably Machiavelli. The thought momentarily cheered him up. With this in mind, he opened the door to his office and greeted his sister.

"Salute, Claudia!"

He wasn't ready for what happened next.

"Salute? That's all you can say? You haven't seen me for _three months _and all you say to me is hello? We live in the same city! It was understandable when I was in Monteriggioni, but not now! In fact, it wasn't even acceptable in Monteriggioni! You just took off to do your 'Assassin Business' and left me there! What's your excuse this time _stronzo_? Claudia stopped, her anger still evident.

Ezio stopped in the doorway, before gathering his wits and stepping into the small room, closing the door behind him. He stepped forward, palms out in a universal 'I surrender' sign.

"Claudia" He began. "I'm sorry. I truly am, and I swear I was going to come see you, but I only arrived back in Roma today. Our last mission was a tricky one, and it took months of preparation before we even _thought_ about executing it. Thankfully no lives were lost today." Ezio apologized.

"No _more_ lives, you mean." Claudia corrected sharply.

Ezio felt all the air rush out of the room, as he tried to convince himself that _Claudia didn't mean that, it's all a mistake, she's hurting too, today is a hard day for everyone_, but he still didn't truly believe it.

"Claudia…" Ezio tried, but his sister was on a roll.

"NO! Don't you dare try to calm me down! All you've done is run, ever since they died! Even in Monteriggioni, you would disappear! The one person I needed to see on that day! We could have, _should_ have been together! Comforting each other! I NEEDED YOU!" Those last words were screamed at Ezio, and he felt his heart break. He rushed forward to grasp his sister in a hug, and just held her in his arms, as she cried on his shoulder.

"I can never make up for what I did, _mia sorella_, but I promise that I'll never leave you alone again. I thought that by stopping the ones who killed our father and brothers, I would be helping you. I didn't even think about how it would affect you. I'm so sorry" Ezio said softly into his sister's ear, still hugging her.

Claudia moved back slightly, and looked upwards at her brother.

"_Idiota_, you don't have to apologise. I only ever wanted my brother."

And as Ezio held his sister, he realised that he was an _idiota_. He had been suffering in silence, when he could have just confided in his sister. Yes, he had buried many friends, but Claudia had also lost those friends, and technically an extra brother.

So preoccupied in his thoughts, Ezio almost didn't notice Machiavelli in the doorway, smirking at him. The Florentine Assassin made a rude gesture behind his sister's back. _Merda. Niccolo is _so _going to die after this. _

**This is all Google Translate, so I apologise for anything incorrect:**

Translations:

Un fratello pigro, arrogante, cattivo che non può essere disturbato a visitare la sorella. - A lazy, arrogant, bad brother who can't be bothered to visit his sister.

Salute - Hello

Stronzo - An asshole

Mia sorella - My sister

Idiota - Idiot

Merda - Swear word

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